Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, returned from a congressional visit to Lebanon with a belief that the new Lebanese government really wants to get rid of Hezbollah’s army and the Iranian influence that’s a part of it.
“It comes at a rare moment for the Lebanese government,” Gottheimer told JNS. “It’s a new government that’s in place and a government eager, at least in their words, to take on Hezbollah and to disarm them and to defund them.”
“Completing the framework is critical to returning all of Lebanon’s territory to the control of the Lebanese people, out of the grip of Hezbollah and its Iranian handlers,” the Jewish congressman said.
Gottheimer said that one of the reasons for the trip was to ascertain how serious Lebanon was in carrying out the agreement with the United States and Israel and to check its willingness to disarm Hezbollah and end Iranian influence in the country.
Under the June agreement, Lebanon would disarm Hezbollah and Israeli troops would withdraw from the country as progress is made.
“I met with a lot of members of the Parliament, dozens who are very eager to see a Lebanon without an armed Hezbollah,” Gottheimer told JNS. “Proof’s in the pudding. Many of the leadership are saying the right things. Now, it’s a question of making it happen and making it happen fast.”
The problem, Gottheimer told JNS, is that Hezbollah is deeply ingrained in the country and isn’t going to give up its weapons easily. The question is how forceful Lebanon will be when the terrorists start firing back.
“We stressed the urgency of, ‘it’s kind of if not now, when,’” Gottheimer said. “This is a great moment. You have this new government, and the United States and these three parties who are eager to move forward.”
Gottheimer met with Lebanese leaders, including President Joseph Aoun and members of Parliament, including its speaker Nabih Berri and urged them to carry out their part of the agreement with Israel and the United States.
“A lot of this was putting pressure on the Lebanese government, including the president, to move faster and make sure all of the parties stay at the table,” the congressman told JNS. “If Hezbollah is still allowed to remain armed and funded, you will never have a strong Lebanese government.”
In December, Gottheimer was part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers telling Aoun and
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in a letter that the country had not lived up to its commitment to begin dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.
In June, Gottheimer and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) in June introduced a joint resolution condemning Hezbollah for repeatedly violating a ceasefire and calling on the Lebanese government to disarm the Iran-backed terrorist group.
“For far too long, Iran has used Hezbollah, its terror proxy, to hold the Lebanese people hostage,” Gottheimer stated after returning from his first-ever visit to Lebanon.
“It’s time to return Lebanon to the Lebanese people,” he stated. “A Lebanon without Hezbollah is better for the Lebanese people, for the Middle East and for America.”
